Rosie
by Jessie Rose 911
Summary: Rosalind White thinks its the end of the line when her gang sentences her to death. But before her execution, she is thrown in a cell holding three tough NCIS agents. Even whith her secrets, can she find acceptance, and even love?
1. May I Introduce to You

Tony Dinozzo paced nervously back and forth in the stone cell. Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Tim McGee watched him, each standing in a corner in the back of the cell. Gibbs, in the corner to the right, stood statue still. McGee, to the left, shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

They had gone to an old warehouse to capture a lone drug-dealer that had murdered a marine. That had been a mistake. They had been quickly surrounded, stripped of their weapons, and shoved into a car. They were driven to a run-of-the-mill, seemingly abandoned and condemned, old factory, and led to the basement where there were several cells. The whole time they were at the business end of a gun.

It had been almost an hour now, and Tony had started muttering to himself. Gibbs was seriously considering walking over and head-slapping him. McGee studiously ignored him. All of them became very still when footsteps echoed down the stairs and into the basement prison. Tony shifted to the back of the cell to stand between McGee and Gibbs. Two burly, Mexican men came down, a slight, pale figure dragged between them. One of them opened the cell door and pointed a gun at the occupants. The other threw the figure into the cell with the NCIS agents. They quickly shut and locked the door and hurried away.

The figure was a woman, a very young woman no older than 20. Her skin was a pale cream color and flawless, and her ash blond, tangled, curly hair was down to her waist. She wore baggy, pink and blue, plaid pajama bottoms and a sage green cami. As she hauled herself unsteadily to her feet, the agents estimated her to be about 5'4" tall. McGee noticed that her eyes were very dark, and in the half-light he couldn't see what color they were.

Very slowly, Tim approached her. "Hey, you alright?" he asked. She looked unsteady, with dark circles around her eyes and bruises on her arms and one on her jaw.

"Do I look alright to you?" she shot back in a scathing tone, a sneer gracing her pretty face. She suddenly looked remorseful as a look of hurt flashed across McGee's face. She decided she liked this nice guy with the boyish face and longish, dark brown hair. "Sorry, just a really bad day, you know?" She laughed weakly. She held out a shaky hand. "Rosalind White."

Tim took it. "Agent Tim McGee. And the guys behind me are Agent Gibbs and Agent Tony Dinozzo." Gibb gave her a sharp nod and Tony gave her a stunning smile. "You should probably sit down..." he looked her over concernedly. She had started shaking violently. Her pants were thin, her top skimpy, and she wore no shoes or socks, and it was chilly in the basement. Tim shucked his dress shirt and draped it around Rosalind's shoulders. He got relatively cold as well in just his undershirt, but he was OK.

"What's going on? Why are you here?" Gibbs asked gruffly. He didn't quite trust Rosalind yet.

"I'm here because I tried to ditch them," she replied. She had a growly voice for a girl.

"Ditch them? Who's them?"

"Padre Del Diablo's people. The gang. My former hermanas and hermanos. This is the cell they put the poor schmucks that are destined for the firing squad. Clear enough for you?" The snarl was back in her voice. She fidgeted, pulling McGee's dark blue shirt tighter around her. She sighed when she saw their slightly sickened faces, and slid down the wall into a sitting position.

"I knew we were gonna die," Tony said in a hollow voice.

Gibbs head-slapped him and said in a very firm voice, "We are not going to die, Dinozzo."

After an hour or so, Rosalind had regained her equilibrium, and was quietly watching the other three occupants of the cell. Tony had resumed his pacing and muttering, Gibbs stayed quiet and still in his corner, and Tim had crouched a few feet to her right, scratching at the dirt covered floor.


	2. How Do We Get Out?

Dinozzo's mutterings were getting on her nerves. He seemed almost crazed. She finally snapped at him. "Hey! Dinozzo! Shut your (insert Spanish cuss word here) mouth!"

"Why?" His façade was suddenly that of a 5 year old. He cocked his head to the side and smiled a frighteningly vague smile.

"He's either lost it, or he's trying to get on your nerves, Rosalind." came McGee's reply through lightly chattering teeth.

"Cold, McGeek?" Tony was a little ticked at Tim's condescending tone. He got a glare in return.

"Quit it." growled Gibbs. He had a headache, he hadn't had coffee in who knows how long, and he didn't know whether or not to trust this girl. They all became quiet again.

"Maybe…" After a few minutes Rosalind got up and went to the back wall. She ran her fingers over the grimy brick thoughtfully. They noticed she was limping.

"What?" Gibbs prompted.

"Well, a couple years ago, a poor soul had been in here for about three days before theguards came and found him missing. The cell was searched over and over, but no one found anything. Eventually, they started putting people in here again. No one got away again. If we can find the way he escaped…"

"Sounds like some old story to me." Tony sounded very skeptical.

"Well, yeah. But in every story there's a grain of truth, right?" They all grumbled, but nodded. The fair woman continued her examination of the wall. Every few moments, a bit of dirt would fall on her head; irritating her and making her shake her head and fluff her hair constantly. Eventually she looked up. This really didn't help as it was kind of dark and hard to see, and she got a face full of dirt. "Ah! Phhtt! Oh, nasty…" Tony laughed, Tim chuckled, and the corner of Gibbs' mouth twitched. They got a baleful glare in response.

"Come here, McGee." Tim gave a cautious look but came closer. He ended up giving her a leg up so she could examine the higher part of their cell wall. She once again used her hands. A few minutes passed, Gibbs keeping watch, and Tony watching the other two with a smirk. McGee's muscles were really starting to complain when Rosalind let out a shriek. Her hands had sunken into the wall all the way up to her biceps! She withdrew her arms and scrambled down to the floor, much to McGee's relief. Her eyes were wide and panicked, and she kept brushing the dirt off her arms long after it was gone.

"What? What happened?" Gibbs demanded. He knew she wasn't afraid of dirt, and probably wasn't one to freak out.

"I lied." Her voice came out in a squeak. "He never got out. I think I touched a bone." Her back was straighter than a pole, and every muscle Tony could see (which was a lot as he was leering again) was tensed as if ready for a fight.

"A bone?" Tim asked, a little freaked out himself. Rosalind nodded vigorously.

They all stood still for a moment, letting the morbid, new information sink in, when Gibbs beeped. Tony, Tim, and Rosalind stared at him with incredulous faces. "Did you just…beep, Boss?" Tony asked, wondering for the first time he really was losing it.

Gibbs fished around in his pocket, and, to his astonishment as well as theirs, pulls out his phone. "They let you keep your phone?" Rosalind all but shrieked. Gibbs just shrugged, a little shell shocked. How had he completely forgotten about his phone? "Well? Call someone! Get us out of this mess!"

"It won't even ring!" Gibbs stopped himself from smashing the annoying little machine.

"Give!" Rosalind was a pushy person, the agents realized as she snatched the phone out of his hands. Her eyes trained on the screen, she waved it around slowly, pausing every now and then. She stopped right next to Gibbs' ear.

He raised his eyebrows. "Is there something I'm 'sposed to hear…?"

She shook her head and stated simply, "There's one bar of service by your head." She took the phone away again and asked, "Who do I text, and what do I say?"

"Why are you the one doing the texting?" Gibbs asked with a growl.

"Do you even know how to text?" She challenged. Gibbs grumbled and looked away.

"Abby! Text Abby! Tell her to get the director and Ziva! Get us out of here!" Tony was definitely excited.

Rosalind went through the contacts and found Abby's contact information. She shot the lab-bat a simple text. **captured in warehouse. being held captive. get director & ziva. **She held the device by Gibbs' head again, pressed send, and crossed her fingers. It sent, and they got one back almost instantly. **who r u? gibbs cant txt. ur being held captive? **Rosalind's fingers shook a little. **txting 4 gibbs. im being held captive wit him tony & tim. HELP! Hurry! **Both Tim and Tony were hanging over her shoulders by now, waiting for the reply with baited breath. **got director, duck, and ziva. what now? **

"Have someone trace our location through the phone signal, and tell them out location." Tim dictated. Rosalind nodded. **tim says to have some1 trace phone signal. our location is the basement of 1183 draper st. they will get suspicious and kill us all if they see you tho? What we do? **

** hide?**

** we r in a brick cell! **Tony had grabbed the cell and texted the last message.

"Wait, Tony." Rosalind's voice was quiet and gravely again. She looked thoughtful. "I may have an idea…"


	3. Amazing Grace

"What? What, what, what, what, what!" Rosalind was silent as she looked at Tony with a raised eyebrow. "Please?" Tony considered using the puppy-dog-eyes technique.

"Well, the People are superstitious. If they were to find a skeleton but no captives, they would probably give the basement a wide berth, if not leave the building all together. If we hide up there-"

"If there's enough room," Rosalind glared at Gibbs.

"Yeah, if there's enough room, we hide up there and leave Bones lying in plain sight. They'll scream like little girls and your people will be free to come and get us." she finished.

"Text Abby, so they know that we solved that problem." Tim said, ever the voice of reason.

**hiding problem solved. give us 30 min. **With that they set to work. Tony and Tim worked together to lift Rosalind to the hole. She used McGee's shirt and scooped large amounts of dirt from the lightly packed opening. She would hand the filled shirt to Gibbs, who'd dump it in a corner and then hand it back to her. When she had a substantial amount moved, she braced herself, screwed up her face and her courage, and gently lifted Bones. He wasn't really just a skeleton, but a mummy. His skin and muscle tissue was just so withered he looked and felt like just bone. The poor dead man, once six foot, two, was lighter than an eight year old child. It was awkward, but she managed to hand him off to Gibbs, who, equally as gentle as she had been, lay him by the cell door.

"Oh, ewww…" Tony muttered when Bones' foot brushed his cheek in the transfer. Tim said nothing, to busy trying not to be overly creeped out by Bones' staring eye sockets. Rosalind handed one more shirt-full of dirt to Gibbs before heaving herself into the hole.

"It'll be a tight fit, but we'll all be able to get in." she called down, her voice muffled. Before Tony and Tim could move from the position they had helped Rosalind in, Gibbs was using them as stepladders. Tony scrambled up next, somehow planting a foot on Probie's forehead along the way. Before going up, Tim went over and crossed Bones' arms over his chest. Respect for the dead and all that. He went to the corner and sent one last text message. **we r ready. come get us out of here, pls. **He tossed the phone up to Gibbs and grabbed Tony's hands. Working together, Tony and Gibbs were able to hoist Tim into the wall.

They were practically stacked on top of one another. With some maneuvering, they all ended up lying on their stomachs: Tony and Tim shoulder to shoulder, with Gibbs on top of Tony and Rosalind on top of McGee. It was _very_ awkward.

All their faces were streaked with dirt, and their hair was plastered to their foreheads with sweat and questionable grime. It was strangely hot and sticky in that little hole. Tony made a comment about women, children, and the elderly being on top before Gibbs smacked him. Hard. Rosalind pillowed her head with her arms on Tim's shoulders, and tried not to move. Movement would be embarrassing and unbearably awkward. Tim was thinking the same thing. After some complaining on Tony's part, all four of them were able to settle down and wait in semi-comfortable positions.

It seemed to take forever. They tried to stay quiet, they really did, but they were bored and tense. They bickered a little while longer, but grew tired. The heat they had generated from excavating Bones' grave was dissipating. Rosalind grew cold again, and she found that she had aggravated her injuries. She rolled sideways slightly, wedging herself between McGee and the side of the hole, and drew the shirt he had given her around her like a thin blanket. This required one of her legs to be thrown over his. This position, Tim thought, was somehow more intimate than her lying on top of him. Gibbs and Tony didn't move.

"I'm bored." Tony whined, "And squished."

A sigh came from Rosalind, and it tickled McGee's neck, making him shiver. Rosalind began to sing just then, the first song that popped into her head. It was so quiet that the men had to strain to hear.

_"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,_

_ That saved a wretch like me…_

_ I once was lost but now am found,_

_ Was blind, but now, I see."_

Her voice was a soft, heavenly alto, and the agents couldn't help but feel as if they were going to be OK.

"_T'was Grace that taught…_

_ my heart to fear._

_ And Grace, my fears relieved._

_ How precious did that Grace appear…_

_ the hour I first believed."_

Gibbs closed his eyes. He remembered his own daughter singing that song, her voice much younger, but just as beautiful. Tony tried to blink back his tears. That was his mother's favorite song. Tim's heart hammered almost painfully in his chest. This woman was so incredible, beautiful, and amazing. He was drowning in her voice.

_"When we've been here ten thousand years…_

_ bright shining as the sun._

_ We've no less days to sing God's sweet praise…_

_ then when we've first begun._

_ "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,_

_ That saved a wretch like me…"_

They all jumped when yelling and gunfire erupted in the floors above them. Quietly, they all prayed that they would get out and everyone would be alright.


	4. Rescue

They all shrank back as far into the wall was they could manage. A few seconds later a skinny, tattoo covered, Hispanic man came running into the basement. He was waving 9mm gun around. He stopped short when he saw Bones. "Madre del Dios…" he breathed. He started murmuring a hasty Hail Mary. After a few moments he looked farther into the cell. "Rosalind? Agents? Hello, Bruja de las Hermanas?" An unholy hiss issued from Rosalind's mouth, giving McGee goose bumps.

The hiss caused the man to look up. It was too dark for him to see the captives, but he did see their eyes, which were reflecting the meager light: the top right were ice blue, the bottom right bright green, the bottom left shimmering gold, and the top left a strange mossy grey/green color. "Demonios…" he whispered, taking a step back and fighting not to faint.

Rosalind started chanting. Gibbs and Tony didn't know it, but Tim could hear/feel her breath being shaped by her mouth. Movement caught the attentions of the agents and the gang member. Bones' left hand had lifted, out from under the right, and towards the Hispanic, in an almost pleading manor. "AAAHHHHHH!" His scream was high and bloodcurdling. The hairs that had not risen on the agents' necks and arms when Bones had moved rose. The poor shmuck ran from the basement, screaming the whole way.

The yelling and gunfire continued for a few minutes more before a large team entered the basement. "Gibbs? Tony? McGee?" called a beautiful, dark haired woman with an accent.

"Ziva! Over here!" Tony was more excited than Rosalind had ever seen him. He tried to wiggle out from under Gibbs, head-first out of the wall. Gibbs held him back until he thought of a safer way to get out. When his feet hit the ground, he was at the bars within seconds, nearly tripping over Bones. He very hastily stumbled away, giving the dead man a wide berth.

"Tony!" the woman called Ziva all but squealed.

Thump… Thump. Tim's and Gibbs' feet struck the dirt covered floor. The government and navy officials had the bars ripped away within moments. Tim turned and looked behind him. Did Rosalind need help? She was crouching a little behind the opening, a look of apprehension on her face. "Rosa?" He hadn't realized he had shortened her name until she raised her eyebrows in response. He blushed. She smiled at him, and then looked at all the people going about their business, and her smile faltered.

"They'll throw me in jail, Tim. I'm a gang member! I've aided in so many get aways it's ridiculous! I was practically their priestess! I don't stand a chance!" Her voice wavered.

"We won't let them." Gibbs came up behind Tim, and tried to comfort the woman that had kept them all sane.

Tim came closer and reached up for her hand. She reached down and gave it to him. "I won't let them." he whispered to her. She drew a shuttering breath and nodded. She did need help down, her leg was severely bruised and aggravated, and threatened to buckle.

Ducky strolled in, amazingly calm in the chaos. He spared only an interested glance in Bones' direction before picking up his pace and hurrying over to examine his lost-and-found agents. Gibbs told him he was fine, Tony didn't like being fussed over by the doctor, and Tim insisted that Rosa be looked over before Ducky looked at him. She had severe bruised ribs, right leg, and her jaw was turning a lovely black and blue shade. Tim was just as fine as Gibbs and Tony.


	5. One of Us

**A/N! This is not supposed to be Mary Sue! Rosa does have flaws! She can be a mean, pushy, sharp tongued bitch when she wants to be! I repeat! Not Mary Sue! I had this problem with another one of my fics. **

**There's another OC in this chapter but she's minor. She won't show up again. I just needed an agent and I had a brain fart and couldn't think of one!**

**This is going to be Timmy/Rosa. I like Abby and all, but I admit I've gotten tired of the McAbby pairing.**

**Enjoy!**

Once the officials got wind that Rosa had been a gang member, things took a downward spiral. No matter what Gibbs, Tim, or Tony said, the officials insisted that Rosa be put in handcuffs and driven to the police station. Gibbs finally got a word in. "Her case is in NCIS jurisdiction! She was imprisoned with NCIS agents!" They agreed, if only because Gibbs was getting downright pissed. Eventually they were all taken to NCIS headquarters, even though Rosa was still taken in the back of a police car.

The agents shuffled off to get showers in the locker rooms. They met again with Director Shepard, Ziva, and Ducky in an observation room adjacent with one of the interrogation rooms in their sweats. At least they were clean. The same could not be said for Rosa, unfortunately. She was seated alone in the interrogation room, looking at the mirrored window separating them with apprehension. She was still in the same clothing and still covered in grime. Gibbs glared pointedly at Jenny. She stubbornly didn't even glance at him. She was a little unnerved, though, when both Tony _and_ McGee shot her rather venomous glances. Gibbs, and even Tony, she could handle. But mild mannered McGee? She hadn't seen him this pissed off over something sense that incident with his sister.

A tall brunette agent strolled into the interrogation room. She was slim, pretty, and confident. There was instant animosity between the two. Tim watched in fascination as Rosa's eyes changed from their normal dark hazel to a stormy blue-grey so dark it was like watching storm clouds rolling in. Her full lips curled into an ugly sneer. "Who the hell are you? Where's Gibbs?" she demanded.

"I am Agent Barker." The woman said, tilting her nose up in the air in the snootiest way possible. She can't have worked a day in her life, Rosa thought, childishly ignoring the fact that this woman was an agent and had probably earned the right to pack a gun. "I have questions for you. Where Agent Gibbs is at the moment is none of your concern." Agent Barker stayed standing, hoping to intimidate the blonde. However, Rosa was short to begin with, so she was very used to looking up at people, and the brunette's tactic had no effect what-so-ever.

"Then shoot, Bitchy Barker." _You pug faced stick._ Rosa added mentally. Her eyes burned spitefully out from under her eyelashes.

"Uh oh, bitch fight." Tony murmured. He got a head slap in lieu of an order to shut up.

Barker narrowed her eyes, but went on. "Why were you in the cell with the agents?"

"I told Gibbs. I tried to get out. I tried to leave. I went to sleep last night determined I was going to leave today, but they knew, and in the middle of the night they woke me up, beat the shit out of me, and threw me in a cell so they could kill me when they saw fit. That's half the fun for them: letting people stew so they'd say just about anything to live, and then killing them anyway." She had stood up during her rant, and now she glared hotly into the agent's eyes, challenging her.

"Yes… ah…" Agent Barker was at a loss. She shook herself, and went on.

"She's strong." Ducky said quietly.

"Yeah, and she can be a bitch when she wants to be." Gibbs said, remembering Rosa's first spiteful look at Barker.

Hearing the respect in Gibbs', the self-professed bastard, voice, Jenny sighed. She had better keep White out of jail or else Gibbs might never forgive her. "I'll see what I can do to get her on your team," she said to the agents, and left the observation room.

"On our team? Wha…?" Dinozzo asked dumbly. Hope crept onto Gibbs' and Tim's faces.

After the interrogation, Jenny calmly walked into the room. "Ms. White," she greeted.

"Director Shepard," Rosa responded. Her voice was still low and gravelly, almost raw, and her eyes were still like thunderclouds.

"The government still wants to put you in jail for your past crimes." The Director's voice was matter-of-fact and her face stoic.

"Of course."

"I have an option for you."

"Which is…?"

"Work on Gibbs' team for NCIS. Permanently, and on probation." The tension in the room almost reeked.

Finally, Rosa gave the slightest of nods. "I will." Her voice was tired.

"The slightest of infractions will get you carted off to jail. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Agent David will show you to the showers and lend you some sweats." With that she turned around and stalked out.

She greeted Ziva relatively warmly when she showed up to show Rosalind to the showers. She _was _part of Gibbs', Tony's, and Tim's team. Yeah, she played favorites.

Ziva left Rosa alone. The blonde sat on a bench and found herself lost in memories. Her father, lifting her into his arms, teaching her how to shoot, teaching her how to drive, his stoic face as he refused her affections at the end. Her mother, teaching her self-defense, them laughing at some book or another, her kissing her forehead before she ran for the school bus, her angry, yelling face so close to hers. Her holding her newborn baby brother, her helping him with his homework, her teaching him how to shoot a gun, his sneering face turning away from her to focus on the TV. Her running, running so far, for so long, until she reached D.C. Padre del Diablo, looking like a savior. Her, rising fast in the ranks of the gang, finally appreciated for who she was. Only now did she realize it was all fake. She had realized over the past few months how truly evil her so-called hermanos were. She had wanted out so bad. And now she was. Was it safe to cry now, after three years? Three years wasn't all that long to most, but to her they had seemed like an eternity.

Abby was curious. She had just been informed that a young woman had been added to the team. To hear Tony and Gibbs talk about her, she had to really smart. And she had only to look at McGee to know that this Rosalind person had captured his affections. She had to investigate.

The Goth stepped quietly into the shower room and stopped dead. There was quiet sobbing coming from the stall farthest from her. The shower was going, so Abby didn't really need to be as quiet as she tried to be. Glancing in the stall, she saw one of the most heart-wrenching things she had ever seen. Rosa was huddled in a tiny ball in the corner of the stall, drenched. She had crawled in and turned on the water in hopes that no one would bother her. She hadn't even taken her clothes off. Her eyes were pale grey and sunken, surrounded by shadows. Her hair was lank and wet, and it stuck to her body and sodden clothing. "Go 'way," she begged the dark-haired intruder.

Abby, being the kind person she was, couldn't bring herself to let Rosa cry alone. She turned off the water and plopped down beside the soaking woman and hugged her. Rosa's shallow breathing hitched. Abby rested her chin on the top of her head and made comforting little noises. Rosa fought back wave after wave of nostalgic grief. "Shhh, it's OK," Abby murmured, "you're one of us now."


	6. Spinning

Tim stared when Rosa walked into the bullpen. Clean, she was almost a different person. Worn out flip flops adorned her feet, too-long, grey sweat pants hung casually from her hips, and a plain brown tank top hugged her curves. Platinum blond highlights in her darker blond hair where visible now that her long curly locks were clean and brushed out. Her eyes were ever so slightly red, like she had been crying, but they were greenish blue, a color of contentment and relief. All in all, McGee thought she was beautiful.

"Do I have something in my teeth?"

Her question, coupled with Tony's head slap and command of "Quit starring at the lady, Probie," snapped Tim out of his slight stupor.

"Ah, no. You're fine," was his mumbled reply.

"Paperwork, people, paperwork. Don't matter how much we hate it." Gibbs said as strode in. The team groaned but got on it. "Over here, Rosa, is your desk." He led her to the closest empty cubicle. The desk wasn't facing the others, and there was a wall between them. Gibbs seemed almost apologetic. Not really, but as close as Gibbs could get.

She nodded and sat down on the chair. She was delighted to find it was capable of spinning, changing height, and reclining some-what. She pushed off with her feet and the chair spinned. "Wheee!" she cackled quietly to herself. Gibbs raised an eyebrow but let it go.

Ziva smiled at the younger woman, glad she was feeling better. Her thoughts drifted to about a half-hour ago, when she had walked into the showers to find Abby doing her best to comfort a seemingly distraught Rosa. She had helped them both to their feet, before soothing the blond best she could. Which really wasn't much. She never did do well with _feelings_. Eventually she had both women a little calmer. She loved Abby like a sister and all, but the Goth could get hysterical at the slightest provocation.

Now Rosa was clean and dressed in Ziva's spare set of clothing, spinning happily in her office chair. She almost seemed juvenile. Or crazy. But if that were the case, she'd fit right in.

"Tony!"

"Yes, Boss!"

"Give Rosa your old Probationary Officer Booklet."

"Yes, Boss!" Tony dug around in his desk drawers before finding the age-worn booklet. "Here ya go, Rosie." Rosa would have glared at him if her eyes would stop twitching. She far to dizzy to do anything but take the damned booklet, much less express her displeasure at her new nickname.

An hour later, Rosa was ready to pull her hair out. The word 'dry' didn't even begin to describe the little booklet from hell. "Hey, Rosa?" She looked up, happy for the distraction. A couple of officers (don't ask her to know their rank!) stood at attention facing Gibbs.

"We found Ms. White's personal belongings, sir. Most had been burned, but we found this much in a hidden compartment." The officer that spoke unceremoniously plopped a duffle bag on Gibbs' desk. It seemed rather toasted around the edges. Gibbs gave them an unimpressed stare before beckoning Rosa over. She stepped lightly, stopping just out of reach of the officers. She carefully dug through the crispy bag, more thankful than ever she had packed and hid her get-away bag before going to bed the night before. The duffle contained her driver's license, some cash, her favorite clothing, and a few other important documents and possessions.

"If that will be all sir-"

"That is not all." Rosa's voice was like a whip. All the agents noticed that her eyes were like thunderclouds for the second time that day. Tony leaned forward in anticipation. Tim leaned back in apprehension. Ziva and Gibbs perked up a little bit, ready to break up (or aid) in a fight. "You," she snapped at the one who hadn't spoken the whole time, "Left knee pocket. Give." Her voice was never raised, but she seemed to hold the same type of authority that Jenny was famous for. They soldier blushed heavily, and from his pocket drew a small brown package. He handed it to Rosa, never meeting her gaze. She stowed it safely away and nodded with finality. Her eye color changed at the same speed as the Iowa weather, and the blue green depths sparkled happily at the bullpen's occupants. "That's all," she said cheerfully before bouncing away to her desk, half charred duffle slung easily over her shoulder.

More time passed quietly after the two red-faced soldiers vacated the office as quickly as politely possible. When the team started packing up Rosa started shifting nervously in her chair, watching her new team mates with sad and worried blue eyes.

As he headed towards his favorite team, Ducky noticed her agitation. "My dear, do you have a place to stay the night?" he was rather appalled that no one had thought of this earlier. "My home his is much too big for just little old me. If you have nowhere else to stay tonight, you are welcome in my home."

"Thanks, Ducky!" she said, relieved. She got up, said her goodbyes to the team, and followed the doctor out to the elevator.


	7. Evening Twilight

**A/N! A big thank you to melonkitty who is the only reviewer I have left on this lonely journey called ****Rosie****. The answer to your question will come in few chapters. **

** This would be more aptly named ****The Adventures of Rosa White****, but I may break my plot up into several different stories. Yay! A series!**

** Enjoy!**

Rosa stepped cautiously into Dr. Mallard's mansion-like house. It was decorated in an old-fashioned, yet tasteful way, and she found it homey.

She was startled out of studying her surroundings by his old, gentle voice. "There's a quest room available upstairs, first on the left, if you want to put down your things, my dear."

"Thanks, Ducky," she said as she trudged up the stairs. The guest room was feminine, all flowers and some lace, and Rosa wondered who had decorated Ducky's house. It was a nice room, even if it wasn't her taste, so she set her bag down and dug out her pajamas, toiletries, and a change of clothes and set them on the vanity. With the vague thought that she should probably wash Ziva's clothes before she gave them back, as a silent thank you, she pattered quietly back down the stairs.

She silently ghosted through the manor-house, figuring out which doors led where. She ended in the kitchen, where she found her host busy making dinner. It smelled wonderful, whatever it was. "That smells divine, Duck," she said, startling the poor man. He hadn't heard her come in.

"Ah, my dear! You're as quiet as Jethro! Give an old man a little warning! And thank you, I thought I'd make something a little special sense I have a guest. It's fettuccini alfredo. That reminds me of a time I met a chef who didn't know the names of his most famous dishes! When asked for a certain dish, he'd simply stare blankly and…" Ducky was off on another one of his stories. Rosa had been warned he often did this, but she found it endearing. She smiled tolerantly and listened, helping Ducky here and there. They enjoyed a quiet dinner, broken up with quiet conversation and hums of appreciation on Rosa's part. She loved pasta, and Ducky's cooking was excellent.

When they were through, Rosa wordlessly picked up the dishes and took them to the sink. Ducky was not expecting this, and the manners he was raised with demanded he, as the host, do the clean-up chores. When he opened his mouth to tell her this, she shushed him and said, "I'll wash, you dry." She smiled charmingly at him, and he found himself laughing. He nodded and found a towel.

She was scrubbing on a particularly sticky spot on a pan when Ducky asked, "So tell me about yourself, my dear. Anything you're comfortable with of course."

She paused her scrubbing and looked sideways at him. _What do I tell him? How much should he know?_ She wondered. "Well, Duck, my life was not a hard one, at least not until three years ago." She turned back to the task at hand and started scrubbing again. "I was born in Iowa, and grew up in a little town called Deer River. The population has been around 1300 since the 1800's. Word travels faster than scuttlebutt in the bullpen in a town like that. Not that I actually lived in town. I lived about ten miles west on a farm." She smiled sadly at him. "I'm no more than a country bumpkin, Ducky.

"My family was fairly well respected. We weren't rich but we were well off. And we very rarely missed church on Sundays. I was a sheltered little girl. Carefree, sweet, and wild. I miss running barefoot in the summer… Anyways, the summer before my senior year in high school, my mother found out a… secret… that I had been hiding. It wasn't harmful, and it still isn't. But she couldn't stand that a child of hers could be like I am. She turned the whole family against me. So I left. I loaded up the truck and I hit the road. Headed east 'til I hit D.C. and… I wish I could say I never looked back. It would make things easier. I was seventeen then."

Ducky didn't know what to say. But eventually his curiosity got the better of him. "And the past three years…?"

She sighed and handed the last dish to him, before leaning heavily on the counter. She studied the suds in the sink before looking at Ducky. "Padre Del Dios looked like a savior to me. Which is awful. I have a Savior. Jesus.

"He took in a very grungy, scared, and desperate teenager, Ducky. That bastard turned me into an escape artist and priestess. I was always spiritual, and he used that. And I can _drive._" A wistful smile curled her lips.

"Oh?"

"I can take a corner on two wheels and still be in control, I can drive in all conditions, on all surfaces. I love driving – it's like, I don't know, flying."

Ducky chuckled. "Well, Rosalind, I'm not letting you near the car anytime soon." She laughed along with him. "I will be reading in front of the fire in the sitting room." He continued after a moment. "Care to join me?" It was a strange request, but Rosa could tell that sometimes Ducky felt lonely in his big house. So she agreed. She could do with a little down time anyway.

(Scene change here)

Gibbs roamed restlessly around his home: through the kitchen, to the living room, in and out of the bedrooms, glancing in the bathrooms and closets. He had tried to settle down with his boat and a mug of bourbon, but the normal winding-down methods weren't working. He kept glancing out the windows, expecting to see _someone_, whether it be one of his team, Jenny, Ducky, Rosa, or even one of Rosa's old hermanos with a gun. What was wrong with him? What was driving him up the wall? Eventually he figured it out: he hadn't offered Rosa a place to stay. How had he forgotten about her? Probably, she seemed confident and sure of her abilities. So? What was really so different about her? It wasn't a bad different, but she was on his team now. He didn't want secrets to be a difficulty. Damn it, what was so different?

(Scene change)

Ziva wandered idly if she should have offered the girl a place to stay. She knew, though, that she was tough, and that she'd be ok.

(Scene change)

Tony didn't go clubbing that night. He tried to turn in early in fact. He wanted to be fresh and alert the next day. A protective instinct had made itself known. He felt the same feeling towards Rosa he felt towards Abby. The big brother's need to protect, but tease. And he couldn't do that if he was tired from the night before.

(Scene change)

Tim sat before his typewriter, staring at nothing. Suddenly, his fingers sprang to the keys, tapping out a staccato rhythm. Click, click, clack, click, clack, clack, clack… clickity clack. He paused every now and then, almost savoring the ballad that he would never sing. But he was singing it with his fingers, to a girl with long blond hair and kaleidoscope eyes.

(Scene change)

As if she knew she was being written about, Rosa smiled. She felt comfortable with Ducky. Should she tell him? She should. Here goes nothing…

"Hey, Ducky?"

"Yes, Rosalind?"

"The reason Mom drove me out of the house is… I'm a Christian Wiccan."

Ducky raised his eyebrows. "I'm not going to throw you out because of your religion."

"Thanks, Duck. That's more than my own parents did for me. Don't tell the rest of the team, Ok? I want to tell them on my own."

"Of course, dear girl."


	8. Wiccan Woman

The team tried not to stare at Rosa when she walked into the bullpen the next morning. Her only pair of black dress pants and heels made her legs look long. A dark red dress blouse made her look a few years older than she was. She looked like she belonged there.

She stopped at Ziva's desk and gave her the sweats and a smile. As she walked by his desk on the way to hers, Tony reached over and tugged the tight braid that hung between her shoulder blades. She let out a small shriek and smacked away his hand. She sent a glare his way, but went on almost like nothing happened. She nodded smiled at McGee as she breezed by. He blushed and smiled back.

"Dead marine in an abandoned house. Let's go! Rosa, you too." Gibbs swept through the bullpen from an undetermined direction towards the elevators. They quickly gathered their gear and followed the boss. While the rest packed guns (and Ziva's case as many weapons as she could carry), Rosa had no weapons at all. Because of this she knew she was a weak target, and she tensed up and continually scanned her surroundings when she got out of the elevator.

Ziva unexpectedly sat in the back seat with her when they all piled into a couple of company cars. She took a switchblade out of her boot and handed it to the surprised blond. "Gibbs Rule number nine: always carry a knife," she said by way of explanation.

"Oh," Rosa breathed, gingerly taking the knife.

Glancing uneasily back, Tony, who was driving, commented, "Aren't those things illegal in a few states?"

"Worried, Tony?" Rosa quipped. He just grumbled, focusing on keeping up with Gibbs' slightly erratic driving.

They finally pulled up in front of a dilapidated, old, three story house. It practically screamed "haunted house!" Rosa felt a chill run up her back. There was evil magick here.

The city cops in the front lawn spoke to Gibbs. "He was found by an officer on his rounds. He saw candle light and thought someone was squatting. He walked in and found a man in fatigues oozing blood everywhere. The lady may want to stay out here." He nodded towards Rosa, who raised her unfortunately low eyebrows at him. She was sure she had seen worse. She gave Gibbs a look that said as much, and he nodded and beckoned her and the rest of the team to follow him in.

There was no furniture, or anything other than cobwebs, in all the rooms except in the large living room. There was a round table in the far corner, and black pillar candles scattered throughout the room. What held all of their attentions, however, was the husky, dark haired marine lying face up in a puddle of crimson blood. It was also drizzled strangely over his chest. Chills were racing up and down Rosa's spine almost constantly now. What worried her most was the circle made of salt around the grisly scene. The blood pool almost seemed to recoil from it.

"Damn…" Tony whispered, "Some serious hocus pocus goin' on here." He and Gibbs crept forward, taking pictures as they went. Rosa realized what they were doing just as their feet crossed the salt line. She yanked them both back with as much force as she could by the back of their jackets. All three of them almost fell over. With an unearthly shriek, large kitchen knives fell point down from some sort of rig near the ceiling. They fell, buried several inches into the hardwood, an inch or so outside the circle.

"So, what have learned today?" Rosa growled at the two.

"Uh, look up?" Tony ventured.

"That too. But never, _never_ enter a Circle uninvited." She glanced uneasily at the cold, bloodless body of the unfortunate marine. "Even if you are invited, reconsider." She turned a severe eye on the agents, completely pissed. Tony tried to shrink in on himself, but Gibbs just raised his eyebrows. In all honesty, he was impressed with her: her strength when she pulled two grown men a full five feet, her composure (She had been thrown in a cell to wait for death just yesterday), and her ability to even attempt to glare him down. But, she was holding out on him…

"What do you know? What is this about circles? _How _do you know this?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. She better not be involved in this or else…

Rosa sighed. She wished it didn't have to come out this way, but she was going to tell them anyway. "I'm what you call a Christian Wiccan. I believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, but I take a _very_ Wiccan approach to my religion. I Practice Wicca, therefore I'm familiar with magick."

"But magic isn't real." Ducky and Palmer had arrived on the scene and it was the medical examiner's assistant that had made the insensitive comment. Rosa shot him a glare. Ducky shot him a glare. Ziva, who was sensitive about people dissing other people's religion, shot him a glare. He shut up.

"Rosalind, is there a sort of rite you can do that will make it safe for us to continue, without damaging the evidence?" Ducky was appropriately respectful.

She nodded, and then raised an eyebrow at Gibbs. He nodded. She darted out of the entry hall and up the stairs. There was a sort of balcony that gave one access to the knife rig. "Stand back!" she hollered and triggered the rest of the trap. She darted back down the stairs and stood in the doorway of the cursed room. She studied the room carefully, not wanting to be caught unawares. She crossed herself before entering. Muttering a prayer she went to the north side of the Circle. She pointed at the salt line and started chanting. It sounded, unless Gibbs needed a hearing aid on top of the indignity of glasses, like something out of the Book of Psalms. She walked counterclockwise around the edge of the circle, chanting all the while. The candles flickered to life, one by one, seemingly on their own. When she had gone around the Circle three times she stopped and made a loud, guttural sound. All the candles went out at the exact same time. The oppressive atmosphere even Palmer could feel was suddenly gone.

"All done!" Rosa chirped in an overly cheerful voice. The rest of her new team simply starred at her, gob smacked.


	9. Deadly Nightshade

To be fair, seeing true magick at work could be disturbing, but the open starring was starting to get on Rosa's nerves. No one had moved. Everyone's jaws were somewhere around their ankles, except Gibbs'. But his eyes were wider than she had ever seen them. "Um… It's safe to enter now?" She phrased it as a question, unsure if where she stood with them. Predictably, Gibbs was the one that regathered himself first. He stepped gingerly into the room, glancing at the ceiling warily. He resumed taking pictures as if nothing happened.

"Duck! The body," he reminded his friend.

"Ah, yes, uh, Rosa, is it safe…?" He didn't want to enter the circle unless the resident magick expert said it was ok. She nodded in understanding and carefully stepped over the now much less foreboding salt line. She looked around herself with interest before she nodded at Ducky again. It was safe.

Gibbs growled under his breath. He wasn't superstitious by nature, but his gut had alerted him to the danger of this place right off the bat. He was angry with himself that he had not been ready for the "Threat from Above", as Tony called it, but was glad that someone knew what was going on. Or a version of what was going on. But one of his team had just used herself as a test subject to see if a certain area was safe. Didn't Rosa have a sense of self-preservation? He would have to talk to her about this…

Palmer, Rosa noticed, kept shooting her strange looks. She didn't like it. She couldn't decipher the look. But he kept glancing at her! She knew it wasn't a friendly look either. "Do you have something to say to me?" she finally burst.

Palmer spluttered for a moment, and the rest of the team looked up in interest. "It's just, just, eh, magic isn't real!" he almost hollered in frustration.

Rosalind's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Magic isn't real." Her teammates stared at her in confusion. "_Magick_, spelled with a _k_ at the end, mind you, is, however, very real. It is also very dangerous. Now, are you gonna keep staring at me like I'm a freak because of my freakin' religion, or are you gonna accept it and move on?" Needless to say, her tone was very defensive.

"Umm… moving… on?" Palmer squeaked, looking very taken aback. Well, what'd he expect?

After giving Palmer one last glare, she turned to Gibbs and gave him a look that said "What now?"

"What do you think happened, Rosa?" he asked her, partly to train her to ask these questions on her own, partly searching for the purpose of the dark magick.

"I don't know. It wasn't a spell aimed to hurt someone else, at least not at the same moment as this guy's death-"

"Sargent Devon Shoan."

"Come again?"

Ducky sighed. "His name is Sargent Devon Shoan." He handed a wallet to Gibbs, who looked at it himself and nodded.

"Anyways, Sargent Shoan might have been the tool instead of the main target, but I'm not sure of that at all. Once we have the timeline down, I might know more, but that isn't probable either. Gotta know the witch's intention."

Gibbs grunted. That had just gone in one ear and out the other. "Sketch the crime scene. Memorize the layout of this," he waved his arm around, "hocus pocus." Rosa scowled at that. Magick deserved more respect than that! But she got a sketch book and got down to business.

(Scene Change)

Back at HQ the rest of the team was getting off the elevator and headed towards the bullpen when Gibbs stopped Rosie. When the elevator doors closed he smacked the switch and the elevator shuddered to a halt. Rosa stared at Gibbs in the darkened space. "Wha…?"

"Don't you have _any_ sense of self-preservation?"

She jerked back slightly. First full day and she was already in trouble. And she didn't even know what she did! "What'd I do?"

Gibbs gave a deep, loud sigh. "You used yourself to see if an area was safe. Couldn't you have tested the circle any other way?"

Rosalind shrugged. "Why do you care? I'm just the Probie, an ex-con at that."

"Emphasis on _ex. _You are part of my team, regardless of your background or religion, and it is my job to train, protect, and beat some sense into my team. Don't do something like that again! Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good." He smacked the switch again and they swept into the bullpen, both of them quieter than ghosts.

(Scene Change)

"What do ya got for me, Duck?"

"Ah, Jethro! I think Abigail may be right in thinking your psychic."

"That would be Rosa, actually."

"Yes… What do you think of her?"

"If she was concerned about her own safety a bit more, I'd be completely fine with her. It was her, by the way, that suggested you might have something."

Ducky blanched for a millisecond, before muttering, "Dear God, she _is_ another psychic." Gibbs laughed out loud.

Sobering, he asked, "So, COD?"

"Now that, my friend, is an interesting thing." He went over to where he had cut open Sargent Shoan's stomach. "He was poisoned before his blood was drained from this puncture wound in his neck." He pointed to the small wound puncturing Shoan's jugular.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Some sort of plant. I sent it to Abigail, she should know."

"Thanks, Duck."

(Scene Change)

"Gibbs!" Abby shrieked in surprise. She and Rosa were watching the computers do their thing and listening to Abby's techno music when Gibbs had snuck in.

He smiled innocently and noticed offhandedly noticed that Rosa seemed to have known that he was coming. He had been joking when he mentioned to Ducky that Rosa might be psychic, but know he wondered. Or was she just hard to sneak up on?

"What do ya got for me, Abs?"

"Nothing, yet. But the results on that plant Ducky found in your dead Sargent's stomach are almost done." Just as she finished speaking the computer beeped and Rosa made a low noise of disgust.

Gibbs squinted and read the result. _"Deadly Nightshade…"_ he murmured.

**A/N! SQUEEE! It's done! Review, please!**


	10. Dare Devil

**A/N! May I introduce my muse, Sage!**

***Sage flips her long, sagebrush colored hair* **_**Hello!**_

**Excuse her, she's very vain. (**_**I am NOT!)**_** My muse takes on a fairy like appearance: red-brown skin, grey-green hair, obsidian eyes. (***_**she preens*)**_**And buck naked. All the freaking time. (**_**Hehehe!) **_**Grrrr… I'm crazy. And delusional.**

**Anyways, no clue why I introduced her! Sage has gifted me with an AMAZING scene for this story. Enjoy! **

The _Latina Magia _were not pleased. Law enforcement had found their ritual site before they could clean up. What's worse, they had a Wiccan on their side. A very powerful, very in-control Wiccan. She would have to go…

(Scene Change)

"Why do we have to go to this place again?" Tony whined to no one in particular.

"Because this is the only place that is rumored to sell Deadly Nightshade in a forty-five mile radius." Ziva growled at him in annoyance.

While they bickered, Rosa and McGee shared an exasperated look. They were in the front seat, McGee driving and Rosa sitting shotgun, with Tony and Ziva in the back arguing like little kids. "So what _is_ this nightshade stuff exactly? I've heard of it, but…" Tim cast Rosa a curious glance.

"It's a poisonous plant often used in dark magick, or just as a poison. I honestly don't know much about it. I keep as much distance from the Black Stuff as possible," she said thoughtfully.

They were silent for a while, before Rosa started getting a tickling feeling on the back of her neck. She whirled around, but Tony, who was sitting behind her, was very involved in a sissy-slap-fight with Ziva. She settled back down, frowning. A chill ran down her spine, and every hair on her arms stood on end. She glanced around the car, but no one else seemed to be having these problems. An oppressive aura that she couldn't see moved in like a fast moving, black fog. Then she saw them in the rearview mirror. A Caucasian man with orange-red hair was hanging out the window of a black beamer. He smiled a chilling, cavity-filled smile at her, and drew a nine millimeter pistol.

She didn't waste a second.

"MCGEE! GIVE ME THE WHEEL!" she shrieked, as a bullet shattered the passenger-side mirror.

"But-"

"JUST MOVE, DAMN IT!" She had an impressive set of lungs, Tony noted as he rubbed his ears.

She held the wheel steady as Tim scrambled out and back over the arm rest. She slid easily into the driver's seat and hit the gas. They sped down the thankfully empty side-street, nearing ninety miles an hour. She suddenly hit the brakes and cranked the wheel hard to the left. Tim and Ziva fell sideways and squashed Tony into the back of the passenger seat. Ziva wiggled out of the dog pile and drew a gun. She and Rosa were practically reading each other's minds. She rolled down her window just before they drove by the beamer. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! There was a bullet in the bumper, and two more in the in the roof.

CRACK! CRACK! Ziva returned the reports with two of her own. She, however, didn't miss. The beamer swerved, then crashed to a halt; its front end almost split in two by a pole.

Rosa didn't slow down. Just as Tony was about to say something, the back window shattered, and the offending forty-five caliber bullet lodged in the mettle work of their vehicle. He squeaked and flattened himself on the floor. Rosa cranked the wheel again and they careened around a corner that would take them out of town. Very quickly she had made it out to a stretch of gravel road, where she swerved, made impossibly sharp turns, and generally went to fast for comfort. Finally, they lost the second car and made their way back into town.

(Scene Change)

Gibbs paced impatiently in front of the questionable establishment. Where the _hell_ was his team? They should have been here before him! He shot a glare at the owner of the store. She wilted under his gaze. He felt bad for her, she was just a little old lady and was probably a victim in all this, but he was irritated.

He had to use his impressive self-control to stop his eyes from bugging out when the company car he had seen his team pile into a little over an hour before whipped smoothly into the driveway. The car was covered in dirt, didn't have a back window, had several bullet holes in various places, and, most shockingly given the cars state, _Ziva wasn't driving._

Tim and Tony tumbled out of the back seat and both landed flat on the ground. They both groaned and made no real effort to move. Their hair was sticking up in the oddest places and their clothing was disheveled. Ziva, looking as fresh, put together, and unruffled as she had at the beginning of the day, stepped gracefully over the boys and over to Gibbs. Rosa stumbled out of the driver's side, hair coming out of its braid, her face a little flushed, but otherwise OK.

"What _happened!" _Gibbs asked.

"Rosa can give Ziva a run for her money. She gave a couple hit men a demonstration, that's what happened," Tony moaned from his position lying face down on the lawn.

"Rosa, please never do that again," Tim begged, getting to his feet. Ziva giggled.

"Eh," was all the reply he got.

"Hem." Gibbs cleared his throat. "This is Celia Moon. She sold the nightshade."

"You don't know that!" the shocked little woman said. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

**A/N! Eh. I'm a freak. (**_**I agree.)**_** Shut up, Sage. REVIEW!**


	11. Latina Magia

**A/N! Sage! Give me back my notebook!**

*****_**Wright a new chapter then!***_

**Fine…**

**Enjoy!**

"Ma'am, the nightshade was used to kill someone. If you didn't sell it, you have nothing to worry about. If you did, then it would be in your best interests to cooperate," Gibbs said, fed up.

"You don't know anything!" The little woman was starting to get hysterical. "Just because I'm a Wiccan, you accuse me of selling poison and being a devil worshiper!"

"Ms. Moon! We are _not_ accusing you of worshipping the Devil! We are not persecuting you because you are a Wiccan." Rosa pulled out a pentacle that was hanging under her shirt and waved it in the woman's face to prove her words true. "We are here to solve a murder, to find out who broke the Rede."

Celia Moon looked shocked, then embarrassed, then… Rosa didn't know. Severely disappointed, maybe. "Well, in that case! I'm only trying to make a living, mind, but I did sell some nightshade about four days ago. The customer was one of those tiny little Hispanic girls. You know, cute little face, five foot even, long dark hair, that type."

"She give her name, ma'am?" Gibbs asked.

"She did, but I doubt it was her real name. Raven Luna, I think."

"Did she touch anything in your shop?" Ziva inquired.

"Yes. But why…?" Celia trailed off as all the agents marched into her little shop.

The team exchanged looks behind Rosa's back. They were glad to have the girl around, or Ms. Moon would have been hard to deal with. "What did she handle, Ms. Moon?" Tim asked.

"The blue vase on that shelf." Tim and Ziva went over to collect fingerprints while Gibbs asked Moon a few more questions. Tony's hands started wandering. He was holding a vial of strange green liquid up to his eye when Rosa smacked him.

"What?"

"Put it down! You're worse than a kid." Rosa was annoyed.

A short, shrill whistle left Gibbs lips and the team turned as one and headed towards the exit. They had what they came for. "Miss!" Celia's call made them pause. The old woman handed Rosa a little white bag. As the silver lined bag passed from wrinkled, knarled hands to smooth, soft hands, the old witch said, "Goddess Bless, child. An amulet to keep you safe."

Rosa's eyes were wide. "Thank you. Marry Part," she murmured. She followed her team out to the cars, and said nothing when Tony begged her not to drive. She got in the driver's seat anyways.

"Maria Sanchez was arrested for assault 3 years ago. She's out on parole." Tim rattled off the facts in a monotone.

"What? Assault? That little thing?" Tony was shocked. Maria, or Raven as she was now known, was more than a foot shorter than him and less than half his weight.

"Always suspect the little, cute Mexicans. They're vicious." Rosa's face was completely serious.

"Previous experience?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"Knew a girl like that in school. She was always threatening to beat people up. She could do it, too."

"Anyway, if she's our suspect, she needed help. I don't care how strong you are, you need help to move a 200+ pounds of dead weight around an abandoned house," Ziva said.

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva continued to discuss their next move as Rosa studied the picture on the screen. She scowled at the pretty little Hispanic, her features taunting something at the edge of memory. "Recognize her?" Tim asked. He had been distracted by his love's look of concentration. She sent him a small smile that did strange things to his stomach. She didn't answer, but kept looking at the smirking image.

(Flashback)

Her hermanos gave her little bows of respect as she walked by. The white silk of her robe whispered around her legs. Padre Del Dios nodded to her. "Mi hija! This is the leader of the Latina Magia, Andrhriana Rodriguez. They are a religious sect on our turf, and have asked us for protection. Andrhriana, this is la Bruha de las Hermanas, Rosalind. Rosie, what do you think of them?"

Even then, Rosa could smell the Black Magick rolling of the little group. They would poison her hermanos with their wickedness, she knew. "Run them off!" she whispered to Padre. "They stink of evil!" The then-tiny coven had all heard her and sent her nasty looks. Beside Rodriguez, a very short, long haired girl with black eyes snarled at Rosa.

(End Flashback)

Rosa's brow furrowed. "Tim, can you look up a group called _Latina Magia_?" He looked at her sideways, but did as she asked. Gibbs came over and looked at her sideways too. She glanced at him, but her gaze went back to the taunting black eyes. "I recognize her from a meeting with a coven called the Latina Magia. It ended badly because of my lack of diplomacy. Padre Del Dios ran them off because I told him they reeked of black magick. She isn't the priestess, someone called Andrhriana Rodriguez is. This may be personal…"

Gibbs' phone interrupted anything he would've said. "Yeah, Gibbs," he said irritably. He grunted and snapped the phone shut. "Come on, Rosa. Duck wants to talk to us."

"Ah, hello Jethro, Rosalind. My dear girl, the bodies do seem to pile up around you," Ducky sighed, and gestured to the four bodies on the tables. Bones rested peacefully at the far end of the room; Sargent Devon Shoan lay, buck naked and cut open, on the table to the left of Bones. The red-haired man that had shot at them and his dark-haired driving buddy lay side by side, royally messed up by Ziva's bullets and their crash. They were in the same condition as Sargent Shoan.

"Eh…" was all the reply he got. Gibbs was beginning to realize that Rosalind didn't say much when she didn't feel the need to. Loud when she was riled up, almost unnaturally quiet when she was somewhat content.

"Now I usually only call Gibbs down here, but I wanted your opinion on something, Rosalind. Our sergeant and our two assassins both met violent ends, but I found trace amounts of deadly nightshade in all three of them, along with another sort of sedater that all of them ingested before death. Sergeant Shoan, I can understand, but the assassins…?"

"Hmm. Did either of them have money on them? Or in the car?" she asked.

"I don't think so. We'll check with Abby," Gibbs said. "A sedative?" he asked Ducky.

Ducky nodded solemnly.

"How 'bout Bones, Duck? What happened to him?" Rosalind had a sort of sentimental attachment to the mummy.

"Ah, yes. Bones Doe died of dehydration. He probably got desperate and dug that hole. He was definitely left in that cell longer than a few days before he died. Horrible way to go…"

"Poor Bones…"


	12. Epic Fail

In Abby's lab, they were met with a very confused lab-bat. "The substances in the dead dudes' blood are all very easy to get a hold of, and not toxic in the least. I don't get it!"

"Abby!" Rosa got the attention of her excitable friend. "Was there money in any of their belongings?"

"No, actually. This whole thing is hinky!"

Gibbs turned and gave her a questioning look. She had tilted her head, regarding the dead men's personal effects on the table absently. "They were never paid," she murmured, "they were bewitched. Sergeant Shoan was witched to…"

"Damn…" Gibbs murmured. If nothing else, this case would make him superstitious.

Rosalind's Government Issue cellphone rang. Flipping it open she greeted the caller with a down-to-business "White speaking." She murmured an affirmative then clicked the cell shut. "McGee found something interesting on the Latina Magia," she informed her boss.

He nodded and gave Abby quick peck on the cheek as a thank you. They hustled up to the bullpen, and they both looked at McGee expectantly. "Andrhriana Rodriguez, born Ana Rodriguez, was busted six years ago for grand theft auto. Few people in the government say she's boosting cars again."

Andrhriana's cool features stared out from the screen and Rosa stared icily back. Car stealing… that was why El Padre wanted to keep an eye on them in the first place, she now remembered.

"Sense this is pertaining to your case, I want you to go under cover." Director Jenny Shepard stalked into the bullpen. They all whirled around; surprised she was there and at her statement. "I want to you catch her, under cover as competing car thieves. Their intended target is the dealer on East and Weston, tomorrow night. Be ready." She stalked away.

"Well, that was sudden." Tony remarked. "Anyways, Boss, who am I going with?"

"Who says you're going anywhere? I will go." Ziva said with attitude.

"Neither of you are going." Gibbs' statement was met with sputtering protests. McGee and Rosa waited quietly. "I'll be going with Rosa." Dead silence.

"Why her?" Tony whined.

"Yeah, why me?" she repeated.

"You can actually drive."

"Well hello, Hans." She greeted him.

"'Lo Diana." He returned.

Rosa and Gibbs greeted each other by their aliases, much to the rest of the team's amusement. Rosa had temporarily dyed her hair pitch black and straightened it. Her kaleidoscope eyes where a cold light blue, eerily reminiscent of Gibbs's own eyes. Dramatic makeup, black, baggy kakis, and a skin tight, midnight-blue halter top made her look like she could be Abby's sister. Gibbs' hair was lightly powdered, so it was now pure white instead of silver-grey. Dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt that was tight around his biceps and upper chest drew looks from all the females in the building. Hans and Diana Anderson, an uncle-niece car-boosting team, were going to steal a 1969 Corvette from the Chevy dealer that was being targeted by the leader of the Latina Magia.

"Yikes, guys. The disguises are too good. You look like something out of a movie!" Tony said appreciatively.

"Rosa! You should totally where that more often!" Abby squealed.

Tim was silent. Rosa walked over to him while Gibbs was ironing out that night's excursion. "You're quiet."

"Just be careful, Ok?" Rosa gave McGee a one-armed hug, but before any comforting words left her blood-red lips, he said, "I like your hair better blond," and walked away.

Before Rosa could ask where the heck he was going, Gibbs said, "C'mon, Diana! We got a job to do!" She sighed and followed her "uncle".

In the van a block away from the target, Gibbs looked sideways at her. She didn't react at first, but when he kept glancing at her she said, "You know, it's a good thing that I don't hurt anyone that looks at me like that."

He chuckled against his will. "Yeah, you seem to get a lot of 'em."

"You give a lot of 'em."

Gibbs was silent for a moment. "Yeah. Just don't know what to think of you yet."

"I'm sort of case that needs solving to you, aren't I?"

"I hardly know anything about you. It bothers me."

She sighed. She shook her head and her dyed hair fell forward with a quiet swoosh and hid her face. Quietly, she began.

"When I was seventeen, my parents found out that I was a Christian Wiccan, only they focused on the Wiccan part of it. Them being the very religious Lutherans that they are, they gave me two choices. Leave, or renounce my religion. The way they stared at me, like I was something dead they found floating in their soup, I knew things would never be the same, even if I did give up Wicca. So I took the school vehicle and left. I eventually sold the truck for cash; I worked odd jobs, and eventually ran into El Padre Del Diablo. I knew a fair amount of Spanish, I was religious and mysterious he thought, and I could drive a getaway car. So he took me in. You know the rest of the story."

Gibbs sat still for a moment, digesting the information. Rosa's gaze stayed firmly out the window, watching for their que. Just as he was about to say something, Rosa hissed "That's her."

"Let's move," he replied, and handed her an earwig.

"Do these things work?" she asked no one in particular as she and Gibbs ghosted down the shadowy street towards the dealership.

"Yes it does, Rosie!" Tony's overly chipper voice sounded in her ear.

"Tony, I swear, if you call me that again, I will hang you from your _tobillos_ from the flagpole in front of headquarters in nothing but your boxers!"

"Bondage and an excuse for getting me down to my skivvies, Rosie?"

"Sorry, Tony, but not only are you not my type, but you're too old for me. And I have too much respect for my country to do that to the flagpole." Muffled laughter at Tony's expense came through the earwig.

Suddenly, Rosa was pushed roughly to the side. Cars peeled out of the lot, and Rosa and Gibbs sprinted towards their corvette. "Well this is a fail. Someone tell me that we have permission to run this _puta_ over!" She screeched into the hidden mike.


	13. Don't Lose This One

**Recently, I have put my other story, The Mute, up for adoption. It was a very hard decision. This story, however, is NOT up for adoption. **

**Enough with the depressing stuff! Enjoy!**

"You're allowed to force her off the road and apprehend her, White, not run her over," Director Shepard said through the earwig. Both Gibbs and Rosa growled in annoyance. They got involved in a millisecond long shoving match to see who would drive. Gibbs used his size and won. Rosa vaulted herself over the hood of the car and got in the passenger side. She didn't have time to buckle her seatbelt before Gibbs peeled out of the lot.

He weaved in and out of traffic, tires squealing, letting the horses under the hood run wild. Andrhriana sped a half-second in front of them, trying her damnedest to shake them. After a particularly dangerous turn, Rosa was thrown hard against her door. Gibbs didn't hear her hiss of pain over the honks of innocent cars.

Suddenly, Andrhriana lost control. She crashed her back end into the corner of a building while turning and spun to a stop. With inhuman speed, the dark-haired priestess hoped out of the ruined vehicle and took off. Gibbs brought their car to a screeching halt, unable to get past the wrecked car to the woman. "Lord, give me strength and speed…" Rosa murmured inaudibly as she scrambled out of the car. Shucking her high heels from her feet, Rosa took off like a shot with nothing but a switchblade for a weapon.

"ROSA!" Gibbs howled hoarsely. Only now did he realize that maybe, just maybe, he _really_ cared about her. He had three daughters – one dead, Kelly, two surrogates, Abby and Ziva – but maybe he now had four? But for how long? "Tony! Get back-up! Rosa's going after her!" he yelled into the hidden microphone, wherever it was.

Back in MTAC, Tony's gut clenched. His little sister was going after…?

(Scene Change)

Half an hour later, Andrhriana and Rosa were both still going strong. Rosa had deviously herded her quarry away from her known haunts and towards a bridge across town where she prayed the police were waiting. Unknown to her, McGee had hacked and done some other cyber wizardry so he and the others could watch her and her enemy race through the streets via traffic cameras and security footage. Tony had used this info to inform law enforcement were they were headed. Rosa just thanked the Good Lord when she saw flashing lights and armed officers. She even glimpsed Gibbs among them.

Andrhriana went pale. They had her cornered and she knew it, but she wasn't going down without a fight. She whirled around, and headed for a side street. It slowed her down and Rosa saw her chance. Her heart beat faster, roaring in her ears, her breath hitched, and her muscles tensed. Her eyes flashed that strange mossy green.

(Gibbs POV)

Thirty yards away, Gibbs watched in amazement as the women rounded the corner towards them. They were still as fast as when they had started! He saw the target's face go pale when she saw her welcoming party. She swerved sharply, heading for a side street. Gibbs's attention snapped to Rosa and he winced. Her bare feet were a bloody mess, torn up from the tarmac and concrete of the city. But she pounded on, as though she couldn't feel it. Then he saw something on her face. He squinted. Still not clear. He irritably snatched a pair of glasses off a startled officer's face, and put them on his own. Now he saw, with a gut lurching clench, that flecks of blood were around her mouth. "Rosa…" he whispered desperately. He watched as her strides got longer and quicker, as her eyes turned a slightly frightening grey-green. His heart was in his throat as he watched with pride and horror as his youngest agent leaped, slamming her shoulder into the other woman's stomach, executing a perfect football tackle.

Officers swarmed. Gibbs shoved his way through the throng to his agent. She lay panting beside the priestess, who was in the process of being dragged away. She looked awful. "Rosa? You OK?"

"Do I look OK to you?" she growled, obviously in a lot of pain. Gibbs only chuckled. She'd be OK.

(Scene Change)

But she was not as OK as he had hoped. Ducky came back from talking with the doctor that was treating her. "She has to be in an incredible amount of pain, Jethro. Her injuries from when we found her haven't healed yet, he leg has to be in a brace now. Her feet will heal, but she will limp for quite some time. Her shoulder's banged up from her flying tackle. They also found that one of her ribs is bruised!"

"What about her lungs, Duck? She was spitting up blood."

"That's the strangest thing. They pulled up Rosalind's old medical files, and found that she not only has asthma, but a heart murmur as well! Even without a bruised rib, she is not physically capable of running that fast for that long! It can only be explained by adrenaline…"

"Holy…" Gibbs glanced at Tony, who was listening anxiously behind him with Tim and Ziva. They were shocked.

Gibbs stormed into Rosa's examination room. She looked up, a little shocked and intimidated by his furious look. He tried to glare at her but it soon disappeared, replaced with a look of concern. Rosa didn't know what to make of this change in mood, so she waited for him to make the first move. "I thought I already told you to have a better sense of self-preservation," he said as he sat on the bed next to her.

"She would've disappeared into the city if I didn't chase her. She'd tell the People were I was. I don't want to cause more problems for you…"

Gibbs sighed and put an arm around her shoulders, being careful of her injuries. She stiffened, surprised. She looked at him. He looked at her. They didn't speak, they didn't need to. They both had painful pasts, and both were just looking for family. He cracked a smile. She gave him a crooked smile in return.

"That was one hell of a tackle." She chuckled at his comment, and relaxed. She glanced out the window to see Ducky, Abby, Ziva, Tony, Tim, Jenny, and even Palmer peering in. When they saw her looking at them they started waving with large smiles, glad to see their newest team mate was going to be ok. She gave them the most beautiful, toothy smile some of them had ever seen. She looked at them with open affection and protectiveness. She wasn't about to lose this family.


	14. The Rede

**The rules and such may be different for other Wiccans but this is the code I live by, so no disrespect, please!**

McGee, Tony, Ziva, Abby, and Gibbs trailed after Rosa and Ducky as he helped her through his front door. They helped grab bedding and settle Rosa on a bed in the front room. When Rosa had first found the first floor make-shift bedroom, she had wondered who had stayed there. She didn't have the courage to ask.

She fussed at them fussing, and finally McGee sat next to her and grabbed her hands, which were waving around in frustration. "Rosa, we will fuss over you until you are fully recovered. Get used to it." Rosa blushed. Come to think of it, if any of them were in her condition, she'd probably fuss worse!

Once she was settled, and the rest had a glass of water or wine, she turned to Ziva. "Zee?"

Surprised to hear Rosa use a nickname, but fine with it, Ziva cocked her head to the side, "Yes?"

"Could you go up to the guest room I'm staying in and get my duffle? I have something I want to show you guys."

"Sure."

They all gave Rosa questioning glances, but she shook her head, murmuring, "Later."

Ziva dashed up the stairs, eager to see what Rosa wanted to show them. She entered the room and looked around. Clothes were folded neatly on a bench at the foot of the bed, and there were make-up and bathroom kits on the dresser. On the floor by the side table lay the charred bag. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. A woman with asthma shouldn't have something smelling of smoke in her room. She gingerly picked it up and left.

Ziva set the duffle on the floor by the Wiccan, who leaned down and rummaged through it. Sitting up, she brought with her a large binder, practically spilling over with notebook paper. In the front cover sleeve was a piece of paper decorated in all manner of colors and shapes, and where a title should have been were a sequence of runes.

"This is my Book of Shadows. It's a collection of everything I've learned sense I've chosen this path. I've heard of and learned a few of Gibbs's rules and I've also been told most of you have your own sets of rules. In here is mine. I'd like to share them with you." She calmly flipped through the binder while her companions glanced at each other in anticipation. Gibbs understood that getting to see her Book was a great privilege, and didn't take his eyes off it. "I'm going to read you the Rede first, then the short version of the Rede. Please don't interrupt." Six heads nodded eagerly.

She nodded solemnly back drew a deep breath, and began.

"_Bide within the Law you must, in perfect love and perfect trust._

_ Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give._

_ For tread the circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out._

_ To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme._

_ Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much._

_ Let light and love be our guides again._

_ Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know._

_ When you have and hold a need, harken not to other's greed._

_ With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend._

_ Merry meet and Merry part bright the cheeks and warm the heart._

_ Mind the three-fold laws you should, three times bad and three times good._

_ Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you._

_ These eight words the Rede fulfill:_

_ "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will."_

"Now I will read the short version." Her audience nodded solemnly.

"_Bide the Wiccan Law you must, _

_In perfect love and perfect trust._

_ Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: _

_ An' ye harm none do what ye will._

_ What ye send forth comes back to thee,_

_ So ever mind the law of three._

_ Follow this with mind and heart,_

_ Merry ye meet, and merry ye part._

"Now I will read the Law of the Power.

"_The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or control others. But if the need arises, the Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others._

_ The Power is used only as the need dictates._

_ The Power can be used for your own gain, as long as by doing so you harm none._

_ It is unwise to accept money for use of the Power, for it quickly controls its taker._

_ Use not the Power for prideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of Wicca and magick._

_ Ever remember that the Power is the sacred gift of the Triune God, and should never be misused or abused.*_

_ And this is the Law of the Power."_

She cleared her throat roughly, as she closed the Book. McGee patted her back gently with a look of worry. The rest thought about what they had learned. Gibbs felt she had read them her rules to soothe any fears they had of her misusing her Power. He certainly had no such qualms now.

"My dear, you need rest. Come everyone…" Ducky said ushering everyone out.

"Wait a moment, Duck." They stopped and waited. "If you would be Ok with it, Duck, I'd like to hold a little Ostara celebration next weekend. I'd like you all to come. If it's Ok with Ducky…"

They all grinned at her and Abby summed it up for all of them when she said, "Of course we'll come!"

"A small celebration will be just what we need after this case, Rosalind. I'm completely fine with it. Now _rest_." Ducky said, smiling.

**Kinda short, but hey. Reviews make me feel fluffy!**


	15. Ostara

**I freaking love my reviewers. I really, really do. This story is drawing to a close (THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!) but there will be a sequel! It will be called ****Rosie 2: Heartland****.**

**So Gibbs is wrapping things up on the crime front…**

Gibbs prowled down the hallway to the interrogation room, eyes surprisingly icy considering he was coming back from visiting Rosa, one of his new favorites. He paused in front of the door that would take him face to face with Rodriguez. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that this bitch was going down, so no mistakes. Just before he turned the handle, he whirled around. He had smelled a fresh scented perfume, so strong he was sure a woman was right behind him. There was no one. He knew he had smelled it before, maybe Ziva or Rosa… Rosa. Was there a spell that made someone invisible? An alien sense of amusement permeated the air. And Gibbs finally got it. In body, Rosa was sleeping peacefully in the front bedroom of Ducky's house. In spirit, she was right there next to him, lending silent encouragement.

Feeling a bit foolish about talking to no one, he murmured, "Thanks, Rosa." He could have sworn he heard a "Don't mention it" whispered in his ear. Taking one more deep breath, getting another whiff of Rosa's nonexistent perfume, he opened the door. Andrhriana sat moodily in her chair, glaring at anything that moved.

Her countenance changed, however, when her gaze moved beyond Gibbs. His gut clenched when he realized she could _see_ Rosa's spectral form. He sat down, showing no emotion per usual, and waited, looking over the priestess's file. He could sense the silent battle of wills going on over his head, and he sensed when Rosa won. Hot breath smelling of heaven and brimstone blew from behind him, and Andrhriana was suddenly very interested in her nails. Gibbs smiled. And it was not a nice smile.

(Scene Change)

Tony smirked to himself as he thought about the case. Andrhriana Rodriguez and quite a few members of her coven were being locked up for life for murder. Among the arrested was that mean little Mexican chick, Raven Luna, and Padre Del Diablo himself. His real name was Carlos Marquez, arrested for murder, kidnapping, drug possession and distribution, and an assortment of other crimes. Tony was very pleased with the outcome. They would never bother his little sister again. Now he was free to tease her, after he finished the paperwork that is.

McGee strolled down the sidewalk, window shopping passively. He had already turned in his report, and had gone on a walk to clear his mind. He was relieved that Rosa didn't have to worry about those crazies anymore. When he had called to tell her though, she had seemed to already know. But she had stayed on the phone with him, chatting happily until Ducky had told her sternly to go back to sleep. "Miss you, Tim," she had almost whispered before hanging up hurriedly. McGee couldn't help but beam. His feelings might be returned! Now, what was Ostara, and should he get her something…?

Ziva and Abby were down in Abby's lab, sipping on coffee and Caf-Pow! respectively. Abby had brought up a webpage on the big screen about the Wiccan holiday of Ostara. They read quietly, Abby's music pounding in the background. Abby was excited; she was going to a party! And a Christian Wiccan party at that! And all her favorite people were going to be there! Ziva was more curious than her friend. What was Ostara? How was it celebrated? Should she bring something? Was she required to wear a certain outfit?

Gibbs sat on the deck swing facing Ducky, who was in a wooden rocking chair, on the M.E.'s front porch. Rosa slept peacefully on the other side of the window they were sitting in front of. Gibbs was pretty sure she was sleeping. She wasn't making her spectral self known at the moment in any case.

"What do you think of her, Jethro?"

"Who? Rosa?"

"Yes."

"She's a strong woman with a stubborn streak a mile wide. She'll make a hell of a good agent. Just gotta train her up a bit."

"A glowing recommendation coming from you, my friend."

"Hmm. What do _you_ think of her, Duck?"

"She needs to be more concerned about her health! But other than that, she is a very nice young woman. She will be a great asset to your team."

"Thanks. By the way, what the hell is Ostara?" Ducky just laughed.

(Scene Change)

Rosa stood in full Wiccan garb in front of the alter, looking at her new family with affection. A light rose aroma hung in the air, wafting from an incense burner behind her. Light green and white candles dotted the room, casting an inviting light over the guests. They had all worn semi-casual attire, nothing more than what they wore to work every day. She was fine with that. She turned to the alter as the clock neared midnight. Resting against the wall at the back was a large pentacle with a cross in the middle, made of metal. One pure white candle was on the south side, a clear bowl of water on the west, the incense burner stood on the east, and another clear bowl of salt sat on the north side. In the middle was a collection of flowers and herbs, all reminiscent of spring time.

McGee approached her and held out his arm wordlessly. She took it, smiling, and they walked out onto the porch. The full moon shone peacefully on their faces, and Rosa's smile widened. She leaned on Tim, perfectly content. McGee wasn't. He cleared his throat nervously and opened his mouth. He tried to choke out a few words, but it was not to be. Rosa gently put a finger on his lips, then leaned up and gave him one sweet kiss on the lips. He was stunned. She pulled back, grinning mischievously, and hugged him before going inside. Tim stood rooted to the spot, grinning like a champion, for a moment before he, too, went inside.

She cleared her throat. All attention was on her. McGee couldn't help but notice she looked beautiful in her robe. It was dark blue, the color of healing she had told him, and pooled a little around her sandaled feet. The sleeves flared slightly at the wrists, revealing silver bangles and rings. The scooped neck line was somewhat modest, putting her pentacle necklace on show. Two little silver crosses dangled from her ears. The hems of the robe were lined with silver thread, and a purple sash (the color of spirituality) tied the robe in at her waist. Her long, curly, blond hair cascaded wildly down her back with no decoration.

She walked slowly, still limping, to the alter and faced every one again. "Tonight is Ostara, the vernal equinox, when day and night are in perfect balance. It is a time of rebirth, planning, planting, and new beginnings. I have been in the darkest and coldest of nights for three years now, but now spring has finally come for me. You have become my family, my new beginning, so I would like to thank you." From under the pile of herbs and flowers on the alter, she drew the small brown package that the soldier and tried to steal on her first day. She opened it and withdrew a green crystal on a leather string and handed it to Gibbs. She handed a dark green-blue one to Ziva, a pale sky-blue to Tony, and a bright red one to Tim. Jenny, Abby, Ducky, and Palmer all got clear crystals. To their surprise, they all found that they were warm to the touch. "They're necklaces." Rosa explained a little self-consciously. They all smiled and thanked her and put them on. Rosa turned to the alter, and in a clear, ringing voice said, "Lord Almighty, this is my family. Protect them and bless them, for they are all I have. Bless us with your joy and abundance this spring as we go forward into a new day." Ducky's old grandfather clock began to toll, and they fell silent. _Bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong…bong. _"So mote it be." Rosa finished. A great rush of love and warmth was felt by everyone in the room, and they all cheered. Except Gibbs, who just walked up and gave Rosa a hug.

**The End! Watch for the sequel: ****Rosie 2: Heartland!**


End file.
